Knights of Desire [Flights of Fancy 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

The battlefield came alive with the reports from high-velocity projectiles, the electrical crackling of lasers flashing the air to plasma, and the red-shifted burps of the enemy gun.

Shane leaned out from behind the rock and pulled her rifle tight to her shoulder. Twisting her hand in the shoulder strap to steady the weapon, she calmed herself and her pulse slowed. Controlling her breathing, her finger moved slowly on the trigger as she aimed, not at the aliens but at the flashing muzzle of their heavy gun.

Counting her pulse and respirations, she shut out the sounds and images from her mind and focused on her target. Shane had exactly one chance at this. Her index finger moved slowly, all of her experience and training coming to bear, and she squeezed the trigger smoothly and without jerking.

The dull thumping sound of her rifle was different from the normal sharp crack she was used to. Shane could imagine being able to see the slug winging its way toward the target moving only about twice as fast as the average family car.

Of course, she couldn't see the bullet. She did, however, see the effect.

The low speed allowed her small projectile to slip unhampered through the force field, and it struck dead center in the muzzle of the alien gun, meeting an outbound bullet someplace in the barrel. The resulting explosion ripped the gun apart, the shrapnel flying out in all directions. The effect on the aliens was about the same as putting them in a blender set to liquefy.

Kyle speaking through the settling silence made her snap back to reality. "Well done, Corporal. End simulation."

The holographic simulation wound down and the battlefield faded from view, puréed aliens and all. The emplacement, rocks, plants, and other features dissolved into the plain gray box that was the combat simulation deck aboard
Daedalus
.

As Kyle and Meyers came to congratulate her on completion of her final test for promotion to Sergeant, Shane stood and flicked up her visor.

* * * *

Elsa was a little disappointed when she had to talk to Admiral Reeves instead of getting to see Lord Admiral Q. She was also objective enough to know that the main reason she wanted to see Q was to get some material for late-night fantasies in her cabin. Not that Zach Reeves wasn't hot enough in his own right.

The problem was that, while Q was unattached, Reeves was married. In fact, he was married to Claire—as in Fleet Admiral Claire Reeves, MD—as in
Princess
Claire—as in the eldest child of the Emperor. Rumor even had it that when, and if, the Emperor ever stepped down, Zach Reeves was the heir apparent to the throne.

He smiled out at her from the screen. "Sorry Q couldn't be here, but even the Lord Admiral needs a vacation now and then. What can I do for you, Captain Davis?"

Since when did a simulated human need a vacation?
Elsa couldn't help also wondering whom Q might be with on this so-called vacation. "Just a routine report, Sir. The Admiral asked that I provide a report prior to making any new contacts."

"I see. Yet another detail Q left out when he briefed me." The smile broadened. "Might as well get on with it, then."

"Yes, Sir." She sent data on the planet
Daedalus
had found to the Admiral's screens. "Fairly routine. A main-sequence star with a class-M planet. Water, oxygen, and all the rest. We have life signs of a remarkably human-like people down there, as well as a wide array of animals."

He studied the screen to his right for a few moments, presenting his profile for her to admire. Yes, Zach Reeves wasn't bad at all, but he was no Q. "Any signs of spacecraft?"

"None. We're not even getting radio signals. The imagery shows an agrarian society with lots of what look like farms and grazing land."

He looked away from the data and back at her. "I see no reason to restrict your exploring this place."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Oh, before I forget, the Emperor asked me to pass along his well-wishes on your recent birthday." He grinned. "I can almost remember fifty-two."

Like most of the royal family, Reeves was old. She thought he was someplace around three thousand, but she wasn't sure of her history. He looked about thirty, and his wife didn't look a day over twenty-two, though she was about the same age.

"Thank you, Sir, and please tell the Emperor I said thanks as well."

"I will. If you need anything out there, just yell, but it will take us a while to get to you."

"Understood, Admiral."

He nodded. "Very well. Carry on, Captain Davis."

The screen faded to black.

* * * *

"Speak to us of the war." Handley shifted slowly on his raised dais, the torchlight glittering off the green-gold scales of his long tail.

Handley's habit of speech using the royal plural made Cedric's head hurt. He flicked his long, pointed ears to show his mild consternation. "The men are outnumbered, and they are frightened. Our warriors on the ground and in the air have control of the battle, and we are simply toying with the men to increase their fear."

"Very wise, Cedric, very wise." Handley's yellow eyes sparkled as he relished the thoughts of a thousand frightened men and its worth. "You use their own fear against them."

"Yes, Sire. Stories of this battle will spread among the men and make them reluctant to attack again."

"This pleases us." The greenish-gold tail twitched once with pleasure. "When will you end the battle?"

"I haven't decided that part yet. I wish to get full impact from the situation before letting the surviving men flee." As the senior officer, Cedric had full control of the battle, subject only to a direct order from Handley.

"Very well. Advise us when your plans evolve." Handley grinned his approval and huge white teeth, nearly a quarter of a meter long, showed rapier-sharp. "For now, terrify the men in our name."

Cedric extended his wings, flexing them at the shoulder to raise them high in the air in a salute to his king. "As you command, My Lord."

* * * *

Captain Ells smiled at her. "Well, Sergeant, looks like the landing party is ready, and you're in command of security down there."

"Yes, Sir." Shane hesitated. "I just wish there was an officer in command."

"I understand, but we both know the regulations. Until we get a replacement for Major Spencer, I can't leave the ship for routine missions. That means I have to trust landings to senior enlisted personnel, and that's you for this mission." He grinned a little. "This is all routine, and you know your job. Hell, you've been a grunt longer than I've been alive."

Spence had stayed behind with the cute little diplomat to help rebuild things on that rat-hole planet. Shane understood that part—what man wouldn't stick around to be with a pretty woman? The idea of him also hooking up with a man—an alien man—confused her a bit. She also wondered what made the girl want to end up in bed with two hooked-up guys.

The idea of being in bed with two men always sounded like it could be fun, but in her nearly eighty years of life, she had never had the chance to play that game. She still had plenty of time, though. With transplants, medicines, and other miracles of modern science, Shane expected to live another 350 years, if not more, and to look good for most of that time. Even now, most people took her to be in her early thirties. She knew she'd be able to mark that fantasy off her things-to-do list one day.

But doing it with two gay guys just didn't seem right. She pictured it more as the guys fucking her, not each other. OK, not gay—bi. Somehow, the details of the language and choice of words didn't make it any better. Not that she had any problems with gay, or bi, men, but she wanted to be the center of attention. The Marine in her let that much of her feminine side out.

She smiled at the Captain, but she didn't think he knew the real reason. "I'll do my best, Sir."

"And that will be more than enough." The landing craft's pilot signaled that they were ready for the descent. "Just call if you need help."

"Yes, Sir." Shane saluted, and as Ells returned the salute, the door slid closed.

* * * *

The lizards again had retreated without doing any actual harm to the men. As Landis made his way back to the camp where Clemmons waited, he thought about the dragon's behavior. While the flying dragons swooped down, their shrill voices letting loose screams that curdled the blood of men, they never grabbed a single victim in their long, sharp talons. He heard the piercing click of the claws snapping closed near him, and Landis knew the fear it triggered in him was only a pale shadow of the terror the men must feel. On the ground, the creatures never came close enough to actually attack a man, only within range of sight, so the men could see the yellow-green eyes with the horizontal slits staring at them with murder and mayhem.

As far as he remembered from the day's fighting, Landis saw not a single casualty on either side. Clemmons was right—the lizards played a game of manipulation, instilling fear without causing harm or risking injury. It was a ploy designed to drive men away, to stop them from following orders, and to make them avoid contact in the future.

Landis reached the camp, and thoughts of the lizards faded from his mind. Clemmons stood outside the tent they shared and, as Landis watched, he pulled his armor from his torso.

The sun was warm here in the valley, and it glittered in rays of gold, red, and bronze as it refracted off the skin of Clemmons's chest, still moist with sweat from the battle. His long blonde hair moved slowly in the gentle breeze, and Clemmons stretched, his burly arms high over his head as he let the sun and wind dry the perspiration from his body.

Watching his lover across the short distance, Landis licked his lips. It wasn't so very long ago that he was happily married and never thought of a woman other than Anna, let alone another man. But then, seven years ago while he was away on a mission for the king, the lizards came and raided the village.

Everyone knew that no matter what else had happened, no one could have saved the villagers, but guilt still filled him then. He could have at least died at Anna's side, his strong sword arm protecting her until the end. Instead, he knelt over her torn body, weeping openly, as other knights and soldiers searched for survivors that never materialized.

Clemmons had knelt beside him and touched his hand. Without a word, Clemmons led him away from the shredded corpse of his wife, leaving the soldiers to prepare the mass grave for the villagers.

After the priest said some words over the grave, he and Clemmons held an impromptu wake for the dead. As they drank deeply of the wine, Clemmons told the story of how he needed another brave knight to help him fight the lizards, to stop them from raiding more villages and killing more men.

Landis knew then he had finally received the calling all knights await. He vowed his life, not only to his king but also to the death of the lizards.

Over the next year, he and Clemmons fought side-by-side and back-to-back against the dragons, killing many of them. While the lizards had horrendous strength, they lacked the stamina of men. The two knights learned they need only to wear down the dragons, keeping them from taking wing, and then they were easy to kill. It was someplace in that year when the attitude between the men changed, but Landis was hard pressed to say just when.

Clemmons was a well-known ladies' man at court. Rumor had it he had bedded every single one of the ladies-in-waiting at least once, most several times. Based on Clemmons's late night absences, Landis believed the rumors. He never saw Clemmons slapped by serving wenches or ladies of the court for a quick fondling of a tit or ass. In fact, many of the women appeared to encourage such familiarities.

One night, a great distance from this battlefield, he and Clemmons had sat together in the light of the dying campfire, discussing the lessons of the day's combat. Clemmons sipped at his wine and studied him for a time before he finally spoke.

"Have you considered finding another partner?"

Landis recalled wondering at the time what had prompted the question. "I have, but no woman could replace Anna."

He nodded. "Perhaps, but what of a man?"

Same-sex partners sharing life was not unheard of in the kingdom, but Landis knew of no knight with such an arrangement. He laughed. "I never thought about it."

"Perhaps you should."

It suddenly became clear to him what Clemmons was suggesting. What with the friendship between them, they often seemed to be two people sharing one mind. The idea had merit. "Why should I?"

"You and I make a good team in combat and politics. We would be even better personally." He smiled. "Besides, you've got a great ass."

Landis laughed. "Well, you're not too bad yourself."

The rest of that night had faded into a chain of lovemaking, and they had been together as a couple ever since. The new relationship created a few problems at court, but most were from jealous women and of no concern.

Clemmons turned and saw him approaching. He smiled broadly, a look that gave Landis a sad reminder of how Anna would smile when he returned home.